5S2 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Sept. 1 



While there may be a certain exudation 

 from hickory stumps, yet this substance is 

 very different from that which we find on 

 leaves of hickory hei-e — an exudation from 

 insects in the tops of the trees. — Ed.] 



THE RELATION OF ALSIKE TO SKIN 

 SORES ON STOCK. 



Alsike Not the Only Cause of Skin Dis- 

 ease, Hence should Not be Condemned. 



BY GEO. A. SMITH. 



Two years ago one of our horses was 

 slightly affected with the so-called alsike 

 poisoning. This one had a black nose, and 

 showed only a slight roughening of the skin 

 on the nose. Last year two colts with white 

 noses pasturing on a newly seeded field of 

 red clover were badly affected on the nose 

 and face with the same trouble. This year 

 the same two colts were pastured on a mix- 

 ture of alsike and timothy, but have shown 

 no signs of poisoning so far. At least 75 per 

 cent of the growth on the ground is alsike, 

 and this is its second year in the pasture. 



My conclusion is that a rank growth of ei- 

 ther alsike or red clover will, under certain 

 conditions, produce a skin disease in horses, 

 and that white skin is more apt to be affect- 

 ed than black. 



The conditions necessary are, first, the 

 presence of stiff stubble which will scratch 

 the noses of stock; second, the clover must 

 be wet, either from dew or rain; and, third, 

 hot sunshine when the horses are feeding on 

 the wet clover. I used common lubricating 

 oil on the sores as a cure, with good results. 



Prof. James Law, V. S., says, in the Veter- 

 inary Advisor, under the heading ''Inflam- 

 mation with Pustules," that horses suffer 

 mainly at the root of the mane, on the neck, 

 the rump, and on the lips and face, especial- 

 ly if white. He says: 



It is often chargeable on some disorder of digestion, 

 as the result of unwholesome food, or a sudden change 

 of food, as from dry to green, or from one kind of pas- 

 turage to another. Vetches affected with honey-dew 

 have produced it in white horses, or in white spots of 

 those of other colors; and buckwheat has affected 

 white sheep, pigs, and goats, in the same way. It may, 

 however, arise from habitual exposure to cold and 

 wet, local irritation, as from rubbing, or from disorder 

 of other internal organs. White pigs pastured on rape 

 are often affected in the same way. 



Again, under the heading "Congestion of 

 the Skin, ' ' he says "this may coexist with all 

 the different forms of inflammatory erup- 

 tions." It occurs .... from the sun's 

 rays in white-faced or white-limbed animals. " 

 Further on he says: 



Cutaneous inflammation with nodular swellings, or 

 urticaria, which are connected with sudden changes 

 of food or weather. With some fever, there appear on 

 different parts of the body swellings varying in size 

 from a pea to a walnut, and often running together so 

 as to form extensive patches which will close the nos- 

 trils, eye'-ids, or lips, and put a stop to feeding, and 

 even threaten suffocation. 



He advises the use of a purgative, followed 

 by small doses of carbonate of soda internal- 

 ly, and the use of sugar-of-lead lotions to the 

 affected parts as a cure. 



You will see from the above extracts that, 

 while alsike may be poisonous at times it is 

 not the only cause of skin disease in horses, 

 and so should not be condemned on that ac- 

 count. If you want to pasture clover, be 

 sure to clip or roll the stubble so that it will 

 not scratch the horses' noses, and then you 

 can pasture it with little danger. 



The only objection I have to alsike is that 

 there is no aftermath, which is an objection 

 of some force when a farmer has a lot of cat- 

 tle to feed. I sow a mixture of three parts 

 red to one of alsike, as a usual thing, and let 

 it lie two years. We sow 6 lbs. of timothy 

 and 8 of clover to the acre, and the alsike is 

 quite thick the second year. 



New Hamburg, Ont. 



ALSIKE HERE TO STAY. 



My experience with alsike, both for hay 

 and pasture, has been very satisfactory. I 

 have a field of four acres, seeded three 

 years ago with red clover and alsike, half 

 and half. I mowed it for hay the first year, 

 but used it as pasture, mostly for sheep, last 

 season and this. Red clover is not much in 

 evidence after the first year. White clover 

 came in unaided the second year, making a 

 rich pasture for both bees and sheep. The 

 sheep had access to a good pasture of blue 

 grass in the field adjoining, but were always 

 found in the alsike. I for one am an enthu- 

 siast on alsike, and most farmers in this sec- 

 tion speak favorably of it as a hay-plant. 



Many clover-fields were infested with dod- 

 der this year — a thing new in this section. 

 Many farmers think this dodder came in the 

 alsike seed, but this has not been proven, as 

 dodder also has been found in red clover and 

 alfalfa seed. Be that as it may, alsike, I be- 

 lieve, is here to stay, and is a boon to both 

 bee-keeper and farmer. L. B. HuBER. 



Lardis Valley, Pa. 



SELLING HONEY TO EMPLOYEES OF FACTORIES ; CAN- 

 DIED HONEY ON BUTTER-TRAVS. 



Last week I went to a factory where there were about 

 forty men at work. I went first to the office and ob- 

 tained permission to advertise honey among the hands 

 at the close of the working hours. Before leaving the 

 office I sold the proprietor one dollar's worth. When 

 the engine stopped I was at the main entrance, hand- 

 ing out samples in waxed paper to each one as they 

 passed out, and taking orders to be delivered the next 

 day. Business was exceedingly lively for a few min- 

 utes. Orders came faster than I could write them 

 down. Then on the day of delivery I took more or- 

 ders, and told them to order by phone if I did not 

 come around before they wanted more. 



This plan of selling was quite satisfactory, the sales 

 amounting to 180 lbs. for the week, mostly in 5-lb. lots 

 on butter-trays. It was candied hard. The butter- 

 tray is the most economical plan that I have ever tried, 

 as the consumer does not have to pay the middle- 

 man's profits, nor for a costly container to be thrown 

 away when empty. And, further, the producer does 

 not have to liquefy the honey and put it in small con- 

 tainers. 



There are several plans of selling honey, and the lo- 

 cality must decide as to which is the most feasible. I 

 have been selling honey in Clarinda for 32 years, and 

 have always advocated the cheaper plan and larger 

 quantities. I have a trade that takes all I can pro- 

 duce, and I often have to buy to supply the demand. I 

 do not sell in the stores, as it goes too slow to suit me. 



Clarinda. la., March 3. J. L. STRONG. 



